Thursday, September 11, 2008

More govenmental stupidity....

More clear evidence that we have way to much time on our hands...

Here is a boy who's pencil sharpener apparently broke, who had the razor blade part of that tool in his hand is suspended. Suspended for 2 days, doesn't this kid sound dangerous. This is the intelligence of "No tolerance" which in my mind equates to "No Thinking". No tolerance just abdicates administrators of any requirement to think or act. It's lazy.

Then there is this Gem. First of all, I think helmet laws are a farce. It's just another way the state manages to control us. I think helmets are a good idea, don't misunderstand me, but we live in a free country, right? In my mind, in a free country, the jackbooted thugs don't have the right to tell you that you must wear a helmet. Of course, it's the law. Which means some mamby pamby, let's protect you from everything, body of law makers decided it was best for us all...

When will we realize how important the concept of individual freedom and liberty really is. We have forgotten that. Politicians, under the guise of protecting us and making society better, slowly curtail our freedoms and load us up with to-do's. Next thing you know, we will be required to wear helmets just to go out for a walk, lest we fall down and hit our head.

3 comments:

Joel Garry said...

You are free to think any stupid thing you want. Why does that mean you are free to do any stupid thing you want?

And even if you insist you are free to do any stupid thing, does that mean kids should be free to do any stupid thing?

I know I did stupid things when I was a kid, regardless of parents - the scars have mostly faded. And I was a good kid, the kids with uptight parents often did stupider things. Don't we all know policemen's kids who do really stupid things?

Now, as a parent, I notice my kids don't do as stupid things, yet, anyways. I attribute that in part to the nanny state, much as I intellectually hate the indoctrination and propaganda, it does work.

But some of the stuff I see other kids doing, yikes. More yikes. And I still see 12-and-unders riding ATV's helmetless and golf carts(!) on public streets, the same rural roads that have some nasty drunks. You are saying that's ok, society/community should just let them go on their merry way?

Have you ever actually seen brains spilled out on pavement? Have you ever actually seen someone standing in shock with half their face ripped off? I have. Their individual liberty has invaded my liberty at that point.

Robert Freeman said...

Joel, I'm not sure I get your point. There is no way that we can be protected from everything. There is no way the state can control everything. In the end, we have to be responsible. Self government requires self-discipline and a commitment to the principles of freedom.

The nanny state works? If what you want are mindless automatons. If what you want is an environment where success is frowned upon and average is celebrated.

The nanny state presumes that the government knows better than we do. While I've met *some* people that this might be true about, why should the rest of us have to suffer with sub-par lives because of a few idiots?

I don't need the government protecting me from myself, only from those intent on killing me or my family/friends. I don't need the nanny state telling me how I should be spending my money, at gun point. I can make those choices myself. I don't need a nanny state that decides that I've made too much money and thus need to be taxed more than that smuck down the road who sit's listening to head banging music all day long and works at the drive-by window in McDonald's at 24 because he's content to do so.

That's not to say I don't have a heart. I do. My heart goes out to single mothers, to the truly infirm, to the parentless children.

Yes, kids are stupid and do stupid things. Since I have 5 kids, I could tell you stories!

Even now, I see kids riding along my residential street, illegally, with 4-wheelers.... all against the law now. The nanny state does not work, because it can't be there all the time. Parents need to be responsible. Parents, if they are involved with their kids, will always be superior to any government. The nanny state motivates parents NOT to be responsible in my mind.

Then there is the nanny state, hard and fast, relieve us of any burden of thinking, no tolerance rules. Oh poor 6 year-old Johnny brought a cap gun to school... we must expel him. I scoff at that kind of intellectual laziness, and from educators who are supposed to be leading us.

I'm not advocating anarchy, only a move towards freedom and away from nannyness. A move towards personal responsiblity and away from entitlement. There is a huge difference.

No mater what you do, life is always a risk. If you want to avoid those spilled brains (I've seen it and other things as bad) then just stay inside where it's nice and safe (ha-ha!!). Life happens. We better get used to is and learn how to deal with it instead of wining about it and expecting out government will protect us from it.

Andrew Kerber said...

Good nanny state comments, however I think I have figured out why schools do such stupid things. Its called law suit avoidance.

By treating all kids the same, and having blanket, draconian policies, they can avoid the lawsuits claiming that they are not treating kids the same, despite the fact that kid A's most regular attendance may be the detention hall, and kid B is an A+ student who never misses a class. Thus, value judgments are avoided, and lawsuits that question those judgments are also avoided.

The real solution is to make the losers pay for such lawsuits, thus stopping the frivolous and malicious suits.

 
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